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View Full Version : Possible to have infant just go to sleep. . .



MartiesMom2B
09-07-2003, 08:52 PM
on their own in the crib without crying? If so how do you do it? Is this asking too much for a 5 month old to do?

I'm sure I'm asking for a lot and that I should be greatful that my child sleeps through the night, but I can't get her to go sleep in a consistent manner. Every time I think I have something figured out she changes. I don't want her to cry to sleep, but I will leave her in the crib for 15 minutes crying to see if she'll drift off but that doesn't work. I'll try nursing her to sleep and then she'll just squirm around because she's not hungry. I don't even know if I make any sense because I want to go to sleep myself. Aaaack!!! She's crying b/c she's overtired and I'm crying b/c I want to go to sleep.

Sonia
Proud Mommy to Martie 4/6/03

ethansmom
09-08-2003, 06:36 AM
Have you read Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child? Our son used to have the hardest time going to sleep, probably because we spent so much energy waking him/keeping him awake to eat in the beginning. The only way he'd fall asleep was on my chest and the second we'd move him, he'd wake up. We did have to let him cry in his crib for about 20 mins the first attempt, but we were all so desperate for sleep, it wasn't that bad. (He was about 10 wks.) Now, at four months, we watch for his sleep cues, don't keep him up for more than 2 hrs, and he goes down for naps and bedtime fine. Sometimes he will cry for a few mins before a nap, but often, like yesterday, he goes down for all naps without a tear. Bedtime is pretty funny - he wants to be in his crib by 6:45 and will cry if we're a minute late. As soon as he realizes we are starting the bedtime routine, he gets really happy. We often put him down for the night while he's laughing and he ends up drifting off to sleep within 10 mins.

HTH!

Karenn
09-08-2003, 10:15 AM
Sonia,
My heart goes out to you! Colin was the same way at that age. He just sort of stopped nursing to sleep and it got so that very few other things would work.

The people I know who have been able to put their babies to sleep without crying have either had good sleepers from the beginning, or have used the No Cry Sleep Solution.

My advice would be to get her as tanked up on sleep as you possibly can, and then try again to get her to sleep on her own. With Colin, even if I couldn't nurse him to sleep, he would sometimes still take naps in the car, so I would drive around for hours to keep him sleeping, and then come home and try to get him to sleep on his own at his next nap time. Sometimes it would work. Like you've noticed, it seems to be easier to get them to sleep when they are well rested.

I have to be honest: I could not, on a regular basis, get him to fall asleep on his own without crying, but I know there are people who were able to make this happen. I hope you're one of them!

Good luck!

cchavez
09-08-2003, 01:41 PM
Well, I have the opposite problem. DS is 19 wks and goes to sleep on his own (started doing this consistently around 3 wks ago) but wakes up about once to eat b/w 4-5 am. Sometimes it is twice a nite but since he goes to bed early even Weissbluth and my DS' ped agree that it is reasonable to expect him to get up at least once to feed during the nite. After I feed him it sometimes takes him quite awhile to go back to sleep on his own but I know he can do it. Last nite, or should I say this morning was great, b/c I fed him at 4:30 and he was back asleep by 5:00 and slept until 6:30/6:45.

Anyway, on a previous post I noticed that you said your baby goes to bed pretty late. DS is usually up 2 hours before we start the bedtime soothing process occ. it is 2.5 hrs. IT depends on his naps.

Anyway, maybe an earlier bedtime will help?? We do our bedtime routine, which includes rocking until he is drowsy but when I put him down he wakes up a bit. Sometimes he is so relaxed that he drifts off other times he releases his energy and does his happy screams, relaxes and drifts off. But so far no crying. It does take him about 20 minutes to fall asleep on his own. HTH.

One thing you may consider if you put your baby down earlier, she might start waking up once or twice a nite to feed but you can take comfort in the fact that she is learning to fall asleep on her own. Anyway, 9 months (when Weissbluth says babies not longer need nite feeds) will be here before you know it! HA!HA! That is what keep me going!

ethansmom
09-08-2003, 06:05 PM
It is amazing how much an earlier bedtime helps! Before reading Weisbluth, baby went to bed about 11. Now, he goes down at 6:45 and wakes the same or less. It's also wonderful to have some quiet time in the evening...

MartiesMom2B
09-09-2003, 07:05 PM
Today I did a sleep journal like Weissbluth suggests and I feel like I've spent all day getting her to go to sleep. I feel like she's nursed less today. The longest she's been up without a 45 min or longer nap is 3 hours. I've had to put her in the crib twice and let her cry it out some. All I can stand is 30 minutes. One time I got her nursed her and she fell asleep within 5 minutes. The other time she went to sleep.

I put her to bed at 7:00 but I'm realistically thinking that she's going to wake up around 9:00 - but who knows, we'll see. If by some miracle she does sleep throughout the night, I'm going to have to pump. Ooops spoke to soon, I can hear her talking in her room. I guess I'll only fetch her if she cries. At night we don't have a monitor and we have a fan blowing so I can't hear her talk or turn on her mobile or aquarium.

What do you do when you hear your little one in the night cooing but not crying?

Sonia
Proud Mommy to Martie 4/6/03

cchavez
09-09-2003, 07:55 PM
I forgot to say the first couple of times we started putting DS to sleep earlier he did wake up around 9/10 for his usual feed so we would go in and feed him and put him back to bed after rockign him but after about a week or so he would wake up and only cry a few minutes and then go back to sleep.

BTW, guess who is no longer going to sleep on his own!!! ugh!!!